<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">After calling Raja Bell's hit on Kobe Bryant "unmanly" on Wednesday, NBA Commissioner David Stern again talked about the incident on ESPN Radio's Dan Patrick Show on Thursday. "I don't even understand what the issue is here," Stern said. "There is a rule. Players know when they do something like this, they're going to get suspended. That's it. Yes, if there was something done to you, well, tell us about it and we'll deal with that. No vigilantes here." In comparing Bell's play to Luke Walton's and Kwame Brown's hard fouls this series, Stern said: "In both cases, those were hard fouls that arguably involved some basketball." Bell also was a guest on that show Wednesday, saying he did not regret the hit and might do it again in a similar situation. Lakers coach Phil Jackson claimed that he did not use an expletive when he told Bell he deserved the Bryant elbow that precipitated Bell's clothesline hit. "I told him that before during the course of the series: 'I don't know how you get away with what you do. I don't know why Kobe hasn't knocked you down before in this situation because you are hanging all over him.' " Jackson said. "As a result, Kobe's had to play at an impeded level. It wasn't directly a jibe at him. It was more or less like: 'Stop complaining, you get away with a lot of stuff out here.' " </div> Source
Why would Bell do it again? That is unsportsmanlike conduct. If I were Stern, I'd suspend Bell for the rest of the playoffs if he again tries something similar on any other player. Suspending Bell for his actions and words would send a message, wouldn't it? This is the NBA, not the UFC.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Char:</div><div class="quote_post">Why would Bell do it again? That is unsportsmanlike conduct. If I were Stern, I'd suspend Bell for the rest of the playoffs if he again tries something similar on any other player. Suspending Bell for his actions and words would send a message, wouldn't it? This is the NBA, not the UFC.</div> This is the NBA, not the WNBA, fouls like that happend 10 years ago and weren't called. Raja is just playing the way you play. When you get hit in the face alot, even Barkley agrees, you have to get back and drop the guy or just snuff him in the face, thats how it is.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting j0se:</div><div class="quote_post">This is the NBA, not the WNBA, fouls like that happend 10 years ago and weren't called. Raja is just playing the way you play. When you get hit in the face alot, even Barkley agrees, you have to get back and drop the guy or just snuff him in the face, thats how it is.</div> Barkley said you give him a elbow back, but not you don't clothesline like that. You give him a elbow that goes unnoticed, don't stiff arm a guy around the neck because it can cause injury or worse. That is what Barkley said, nice try putting a twist on it tho...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Coville:</div><div class="quote_post">Barkley said you give him a elbow back, but not you don't clothesline like that. You give him a elbow that goes unnoticed, don't stiff arm a guy around the neck because it can cause injury or worse. That is what Barkley said, nice try putting a twist on it tho...</div> Throwing elbows isn't dangerous too? Barbosa cut his lip yesterday because of Kobe, if anything Kobe should get a warning from the NBA of his throwing elbows, he does alot of situations.
Barobosa's elbow was incidental you gotta give the player space to jump shoot. Either way chip shotting a player is not not sportmanship. Raja Bell is taking this too personal. Just play ball and show you are the best defensive player. I like Raja's defensive aggressiveness and I wish I had him in the Lakers but don't chip shot a play don't matter who he is.
If you've watched Raja all season, you've seen how competitive he is. It's what makes him a great defender. I've also seen how Kobe's played all series, and how he's treated Raja. While talking to my brother, he reminded me and made me realize that it's like an old friend I had, and how things would get when we'd play basketball. I take my defense really seriously too, and when we'd play with our friends, I'd always defend him. He would come at me with disregard and disrespect for my defense, trying to push, pull, poke and elbow me around the court to get open for his shot, and I would take offense to it. Great scorers that respect defenders know how to cleanly work for open shots like Reggie Miller and Rip Hamilton to name a couple. So me and this guy got into more than our share of scuffles on the court becuase I didn't like catching elbows in the face either, so I completely understand where Raja was coming from. However, he is a professional, and should've thought about it before doing it, knowing it would've not only cost him but his teammates also. That being said, I think Raja's smart enough that he won't let it get that far. He just snapped this time. If ANYBODY else can push his buttons that way, it might be Ginobili if we meet the Spurs in the Finals. Either way, it'll be nice to have Bell back on the court Saturday.
i like Sterns quote about how the Kwame and Walton fouls "arguably involved some basketball" lol i mean i agree...they did involve basketball a bit more but does that make clothslining a player ok? how about throwing a guy down and posturing over top of him afterwards? Bell should of been suspended...perhaps for 2 games instead of 1. But in my opinion the Laker's are deserving of the NBA going back and looking at those no calls and doing something about it. Give Walton a 1 game, or Kwame or both. And give a waring to Kobe about his elbows and to about pushing people into others (Diaw)
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 02civic:</div><div class="quote_post">i like Sterns quote about how the Kwame and Walton fouls "arguably involved some basketball" lol i mean i agree...they did involve basketball a bit more but does that make clothslining a player ok? how about throwing a guy down and posturing over top of him afterwards? Bell should of been suspended...perhaps for 2 games instead of 1. But in my opinion the Laker's are deserving of the NBA going back and looking at those no calls and doing something about it. Give Walton a 1 game, or Kwame or both. And give a waring to Kobe about his elbows and to about pushing people into others (Diaw)</div> and this invovles basketball? Kobe wasn't even trying to get the ball, his primary goal was to move Bell out the way with an elbow to the face. Raja Bell did state he was hit in the face mutiple times.
look at raja bell in every play he is tying up kobe and trying to hump him, when you play like that you are going to get hit. raja bell should be hit with at least a 5 game suspension for just that. props to kobe not reacting to that, because if that was me i would had cracked his head
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trench:</div><div class="quote_post">The elbow didnt even touch his face! haha. Thanks for this! lol</div> I think there must be something in the water in L.A. Something that causes blindness. Or maybe it's just all that pollution.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I think there must be something in the water in L.A. Something that causes blindness.</div> I don't think he lives in LA....or the states for that matter. But i guess there's something in the water in the dirty south as well because i don't see it. Maybe you could post up a better GIF or picture or something.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting j0se:</div><div class="quote_post">Throwing elbows isn't dangerous too? Barbosa cut his lip yesterday because of Kobe, if anything Kobe should get a warning from the NBA of his throwing elbows, he does alot of situations.</div> plz stop crying
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Pablo23:</div><div class="quote_post">Barobosa's elbow was incidental you gotta give the player space to jump shoot. Either way chip shotting a player is not not sportmanship. Raja Bell is taking this too personal. Just play ball and show you are the best defensive player. I like Raja's defensive aggressiveness and I wish I had him in the Lakers but don't chip shot a play don't matter who he is.</div> How many elbows have the rest of the Suns players thrown this series? One maybe! Kobe himself has thrown at least five elbows, that is not incidental. This is becoming a trend and you Lakers fans seem to be blind in your analysis.
What's more cowardly, elbowing a guy or throwing him down. And don't tell me that clothesline could have injured Kobe, because it really couldn't have unless he's got an insanely weak neck. Contrary to many Laker fans these days, elbows do hurt...quite a bit, so don't pull that crap.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting virve119:</div><div class="quote_post">What's more cowardly, elbowing a guy or throwing him down. And don't tell me that clothesline could have injured Kobe, because it really couldn't have unless he's got an insanely weak neck. Contrary to many Laker fans these days, elbows do hurt...quite a bit, so don't pull that crap.</div> What? Potentially getting hit in the trachea isn't dangerous? You collapse someone's windpipe and they are going to die. Collaring someone is dangerous especially when the person is on the move.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">What? Potentially getting hit in the trachea isn't dangerous? You collapse someone's windpipe and they are going to die. Collaring someone is dangerous especially when the person is on the move.</div> So is pulling someone down out of the air. So is shoving someone in the neck with your forearm/elbow. So are elbows to the face.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting unbeliever:</div><div class="quote_post">So is pulling someone down out of the air. So is shoving someone in the neck with your forearm/elbow. So are elbows to the face.</div> Absolutely, it's all unecessary.
